2 NEWS PREFACE The order
2 NEWS PREFACE The order books are open! Simon King Associate Editor Knowledge is power ITB Asia has firmly established itself as the B2B trade show and conference for the travel industry in the Asia Pacific region – and this year’s event looks set to be another record-breaker with more than 1,000 exhibitors. Central to ITB Asia is the strong conference programme, which this year is taking place across six stages. Organisers have assembled a varied programme, which includes several new initiatives. Kicking off the show on Wednesday, October 17, global leaders from Google, Microsoft and Ctrip will provide insights on the major trends that will drive change and transformation within the travel industry. On days two and three, keynote panel sessions will look at the future of travel distribution, with insights from leading OTAs and intermediaries on how they are innovating to stay ahead, as well as a close-up look at the Chinese market - with ways to win over Chinese travellers and Chinese millennials. Indeed, as distribution becomes more complex, with competition coming from new angles, and, at the same time, opportunities opening-up from others, those opening the gates to success will be the ones with the most innovative strategies, based (hopefully) in part on what they might learn at ITB Asia. The information will be there. Its wise use will be the key. ITB ASIA NEWS is a CLEVERDIS Publication. 65 av. 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If any of these risks or uncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the expectations outlined in these statements. Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements during the period of publication. Photo Credits and Copyright: All Rights Reserved. ITB Asia will see a record number of top-line trade visitors at this year’s show, with over 1,000 approved buyers set to attend, a 12% increase on last year. Organisers say the top 10 source markets for buyers from the Asia Pacific region include China, Oceania, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. ITB Asia has been working closely with new industry partners to bring in a fresh pool of buyers to the show via the Buyers Programme. New corporate partners on the Buyers Programme this year include JW Marriott Singapore South Beach, InterContinental Hotels Group, Far East Hospitality, Caissa and Singapore Airlines, to name a few. The show has also collaborated with leading travel associations in the region including Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), The Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA), Korea MICE Association, and Taiwan Convention & Exhibition Association. Confirmed associations under FATA include the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Malaysian Association of Tour Travel Agents, Association of Travel Agents Indonesia and Thai Travel Agents Association. Dedicated content tailored for the MICE and corporate segment will be featured at the MICE & Corporate Hub, and this allows for MICE and corporate buyers and exhibitors to meet and network. On the other hand, exhibitors and targeted buyer segments can gather and engage with potential business partners at the MICE & Corporate Speed Networking. ITB Asia has also been working in partnership with ACTE, the leading corporate travel association, which has recommended its pool of corporate buyers to the show. ACTE will be hosting a one-day conference at ITB Asia with curated content for the corporate buying segment to learn and network with industry leaders. Buyers at ITB Asia typically have high purchasing power with more than 40% of buyers making purchases of between US0,000 - US million, and 20% of buyers spending more than US million ITB ASIA NEWS • Thursday, 11 October 2018 www.itb-asia-news.com
ITB ASIA CONFERENCE 3 © Messe Berlin Singapore © Messe Berlin Singapore ITB Asia 2017 Stellar conference line-up ITB Asia 2018 reimagines travel with an extensive conference programme Under the conference theme “Travel Reimagined”, ITB Asia 2018 will showcase an extensive programme of key presentations and discussions by industry heavyweights from the travel and tourism sector. The conference will bring together 200 speakers delivering over 200 hours of discussion to offer a well-rounded experience where industry leaders will network and discover the future of travel. Key industry leaders will be providing insights on major trends that are provoking disruption across the travel industry and how they are innovating to stay ahead. Set to host over 1,000 exhibitors this year, ITB Asia 2018 is attracting top decision makers from across the travel industry in Asia-Pacific and beyond. “We have a spectacular lineup for this year’s conference on six stages and a rich and varied content programme. This year also sees the launch of several new initiatives including a new MICE and Corporate Hub, a MICE tech showcase and a new Muslim Travel Pavilion. This is a significant increase in exhibitor and speaker numbers and in the breadth of material being showcased at ITB Asia. We look forward to welcoming delegates to this year’s widely anticipated event,” commented Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia. To kick off the show, global leaders from Google, Microsoft and Ctrip will provide insights on the major trends that will drive change and transformation within the travel industry, setting the tone of the overall show this year. This will continue to day two where ITB Asia 2018 will host the keynote panel session on the future of travel distribution with insights from leading OTAs and intermediaries on how they are innovating to stay ahead. Day three will then see a dedicated session on the Chinese market as the panel explores the ways to win over Chinese travellers and Chinese millennials today. KNOWLEDGE THEATRE TO BE MOST POPULAR THEATRE AT SHOW As the most popular and leading conference theatre of the entire ITB Asia event, the Knowledge Theatre will explore topics which are defining and challenging our travel industry today, tomorrow as well as into the future. Getting to the heart of today’s complex travel issues, a series of talks on the vision and outlook for the industry given by top leaders and most creative minds will also be hosted here. PRESENTATION HUB TO SHOWCASE BEST PRACTICES IN DESTINATION MARKETING Welcoming creative leaders and thinkers from leading travel brands and media agencies, ITB Asia 2018’s Presentation Hub will shape up three days of rich content, showcasing the latest insights and global best practices in destination marketing. The stage will explore innovation in destination marketing, helping creative marketeers to promote their destinations worldwide through a discussion on the use of social media channels in line with new travel trends. STRONG GLOBAL SUPPORT FROM MICE & CORPORATE PARTNERS Corporate and MICE participants at ITB Asia have grown tremendously in the past years. To reflect this strong support and increased focus in these areas, ITB Asia will launch new initiatives for the MICE and corporate segments, gathering industry leaders from within the MICE sector at the show. Confirmed partners and speakers include Airbnb for Work, CWT Meetings & Events, site and Troovo, to name a few. Among the new initiatives will be the launch of a new MICE Tech Showcase which will feature some of the most exciting innovations helping to solve today’s complex issues in the MICE industry. TRAVEL & TECH TO BE FOCUS OF ITB ASIA 2018 KEYNOTES This year, ITB Asia will look forward to the disruptors and game-changers that are shifting the traditional modes of thinking in the travel industry, looking at the impact of new generation technology on tourism. This exploration includes the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and blockchain in the travel industry in time to come. NEW MUSLIM TRAVEL PAVILION AND THIRD HALAL IN TRAVEL ASIA SUMMIT Set to deliver an unrivalled conference, ITB Asia will launch a newly dedicated Muslim Travel Hub and Pavilion to capture the US0 bn Muslim travel market. For the three full days, the dedicated Muslim Travel Pavilion will offer important panel discussions and showcases on Halal travel. Supplementing this will be the Muslim Travel Pavilion, dedicated to exhibitors that offer Muslim travel products and services ITB ASIA NEWS • Thursday, 11 October 2018
